Items tagged “spleen”

Splenic epithelial cysts, also known as splenic epidermoid cysts or primary splenic cysts, are unilocular fluid lesions with thin and smooth walls and no enhancement. They represent ~20% of cysts found in the spleen, and are usually an innocuous incidental imaging finding. Note that most (~80%)...

Increased splenic density can be due to a number of processes. The density may be due to calcification (most common) or other compounds (iron, Thorotrast), and can be seen (often incidentally) on abdominal radiographs and CT. On CT the usual splenic attenuation is 35-55 HU or ~10 HU 6 lower than...

Splenunculi, also known as supernumerary spleens, accessory spleens, or splenules, are small nodules of spleen that are separate from the rest of the organ.  Epidemiology They are common, seen in up to 16% of CTs of the abdomen and up to 30% of autopsies 2.  Pathology Accessory spleens are c...

Splenosis is one type of ectopic splenic tissue (the other being accessory spleen). It is an acquired condition and is defined as autoimplantation of one or more focal deposits of splenic tissue in various compartments of the body. Pathology Etiology Abdominal splenosis is seen after abdomina...

Autosplenectomy denotes spontaneous infarction of the spleen with resulting hyposplenism. Epidemiology Autosplenectomy is most frequently encountered in patients with homozygous sickle cell disease, although it has also been reported in pneumococcal septicemia 1, and systemic lupus erythematos...

There are a number of splenic lesions and anomalies: Gamuts hypervascular splenic lesions Congenital anomalies accessory spleen wandering spleen asplenia polysplenia splenogonadal fusion retrorenal spleen Mass lesions Benign mass lesions splenic cyst splenic pse...

Seurat spleen is an angiographic appearance seen following blunt trauma to the spleen. Multiple small punctate regions of intraparenchymal contrast extravasation lead to a spotted appearance. Pathology Several mechanisms are thought to to attribute to this appearance which include sinusoidal s...

Sarcoidosis is a systemic inflammatory disease of unknown origin characterized by the formation of non-caseating granulomas. Virtually any organ system may be involved. Although less common than pulmonary and mediastinal disease, abdominal sarcoidosis can mimic more common infectious or neoplast...

Littoral cell angioma of the spleen is a rare, benign primary vascular tumor of the spleen. Epidemiology Littoral cell angiomas may occur at any age and have no gender predilection. Associations Littoral cell angiomas have been diagnosed in association with various malignancies outside the s...

Splenic hydatid infection is a rare form of hydatid disease, and isolated splenic involvement is even less common. For a general discussion, and for links to other system-specific manifestations, please refer to the article on hydatid disease.  Epidemiology Splenic hydatid disease has been re...

Wandering spleen is a rare condition in which the spleen migrates from its usual anatomical position, commonly to the lower abdomen or pelvis. Epidemiology Wandering spleen is rare, with a reported incidence of <0.5%. Diagnosis is most commonly made between the ages of 20-40 years and is more...

A mnemonic for causes of cystic lesions in the spleen is: TEAM Mnemonic T: trauma E: echinococcal A: abscess M: metastasis

Sclerosing angiomatoid nodular transformation (SANT) of the spleen is a recently recognized, rare, non-neoplastic vascular splenic lesion of uncertain etiology.  Terminology The term SANT first appeared in the literature in a 2004 article by Martel et al. which examined a series of 25 cases 3....

Hypersplenism is a cytopenia resulting from blood pooling in the spleen and is almost always associated with splenomegaly.  Pathology Etiology There is an almost overwhelming list, some more common causes are given below 1,3,4: congestive splenomegaly: cirrhosis, Budd-Chiari syndrome, portal...

Splenic steal syndrome is a possible complication after liver transplantation. In this syndrome, blood flows preferentially from the celiac artery into the splenic artery and the hepatic artery is relatively hypoperfused as a result. This complication can threaten a liver transplant's survival. ...

The spleen size varies with a child's age. The three numbers below represent the 10th percentile, median, and 90th percentile for the long axis of the spleen (cm) 1-3: 0-3 months: (3.3, 4.5, 5.8 cm) 3-6 months: (4.9, 5.3, 6.4 cm) 6-12 months: (5.2, 6.2, 6.8 cm) 1-2 years: (5.4, 6.9, 7.5 cm)...

Brucellosis is a common zoonosis, which is particularly prevalent in Mediterranean countries. It produces a multisystemic illness that can present with a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations and complications 1. This article is focusing on the splenic involvement by brucellosis. For genera...

Splenic volvulus (rare plural: volvuli) also called splenic torsion may be seen as a complication of a wandering spleen due to weakness of the splenic ligaments 1. Clinical presentation abdominal pain: mild to severe in intensity which depends on the degree of torsion 4-6 abdominal mass 5 ab...